Dressing Recipes

This category refers to the sauce or flavoring product that is poured over or tossed with a salad. If you are looking for the 'sidedish that accompanies poultry, see Stuffing Recipes.

While a large number of commercial salad dressings may diminish the need to make it from scratch, nothing says "I'm a serious cook" quite like having your own salad dressing - the 'house label', in effect.

Types

Dressings for green salads may be vinegar-based, called viniagrettes, which are thin and runny, or may be thicker, creamy, slow-pouring dressings. Thicker dressings usually have a base of mayonnaise, sour cream or yogurt.

Fruit salads may have a sweet creamy sauce, or the fruit may be served in its own juice.

Mayonnaise dressing with herbs is used to dress a pasta salad and coleslaw. Flaked meat salad, such as tuna salad and ham salad, is usually dressed with mayonnaise, pickle relish or finely chopped celery and/or onions, or other crunchy additions, such as diced water chestnuts, spring onion, shallots or leeks.

Other Uses for Salad Dressings

Russian dressing has for years been the condiment on a Reuben sandwich, and MacDonald's 'special sauce' is a variety of the classic thousand island .

Crudites are raw vegetables cut into sticks and served with a dipping sauce as an appetizer. Thick ones make excellent dipping sauces for these crunchy treats, but don't try using a viniagrette; it will drip all over your guests' party clothes.

Try ranch on a turkey sandwich, or top a baked potato with green goddess. Dip french fries into a french dressing - what could be more appropriate? French is essentially a viniagrette thickened with ketchup and spices, after all, and we all know how well french fries go with ketchup.